If your car’s dead battery suddenly leaves you stranded in the middle of nowhere, you’ll have no choice but to jump-start it.
But how do you start a car without another vehicle?
And is it safe?
We’ll show you how to start a car without another car in four ways and share some safety measures to remember.
This Article Contains:
- 4 Effective Ways to Start a Car Without Another Car
- 4 Crucial Safety Tips for Starting a Car with a Weak Battery
- What Are the Benefits of Starting a Car Without Another Car?
- 4 FAQs about Starting a Car Without Another Car
4 Effective Ways to Start a Car Without Another Car
If you need to jump-start your car but don’t see any other vehicle around, don’t worry.
Here are some alternative methods you can use:
CAUTION: Before you begin, ensure your car battery isn’t leaking and its cables are undamaged. If they are, don’t proceed, as a leaking battery and damaged cables can pose safety risks. Instead, call a towing service or roadside assistance. In case there’s no issue, you may proceed.
1. Try the Push-Start Method (Manual Transmission Cars Only)
The push-start technique, also known as pop-starting or bump-starting, involves pushing your manual transmission car to crank the engine.
Here’s a step-by-step guide to push-start your manual car:
- Ask fellow passengers or a few pedestrians to go behind the car and get ready to push.
- Then, take the driver’s seat and turn the key in the ignition to “ON.”
- Push the clutch pedal and shift to second gear while the parking brake (emergency brake) is still engaged. Using second gear instead of first helps avoid sudden jerks.
- Now, press the brake pedal and release the parking brake. Then, ask the people standing behind your car to start pushing. Once they start pushing, release the brake pedal.
- When your car’s speed is 5 to 10 mph, release the clutch pedal suddenly. This will forcefully start your engine.
- As soon as the engine starts to catch, press the accelerator pedal gently to give it some gas. Your car’s engine may sputter as it starts to engage and accelerate.
- Once the engine runs smoothly, release the accelerator and press the clutch pedal again. Slowly, your car’s speed will drop, and it’ll start idling.
- With the engine idling, let the battery charge for 15 minutes, then your car is good to go. If your engine still doesn’t start, a bad alternator may be the problem.
2. Use a Portable Jump Starter Box
A jump starter box is a small portable battery pack with attached jumper cables. It can jump-start most cars with dead or weak batteries, including automatic transmission and electric vehicles.
If you have a portable jump box, here’s how you can use it:
- Ensure your jump starter is fully charged. If not, plug it in and charge it according to the manual’s instructions.
- Keep the portable jump starter’s integrated cables ready, or use your own cables if it doesn’t have them.
- Connect the red cable’s clip to the positive terminal of the dead car battery (with the “+” symbol or the red cover). Then, connect the black clamp or clip to a grounded, unpainted, bare metal surface on the vehicle’s frame.
- Switch on the jump box, keeping it away from the engine’s moving parts.
- Start the car after five to ten minutes.
- If the engine starts, you’ve jump-started your vehicle and now have a working car (or jumped car).
- Turn off the portable jump starter. Then, remove the clamps in reverse order. First, remove the black clamp from the bare metal surface and then the red clamp from the dead battery.
NOTE: A jump box is valuable in emergencies but doesn’t fix the reason behind a dead battery. It only provides a temporary surge of power to start your engine. Visit a car repair shop or call a mechanic for prolonged battery issues.
3. Connect to a Spare Battery
If you have a spare battery and jumper cables, they can help you jump-start your car when it stops running.
Have a look at these steps to get a good idea of what you need to do:
- Connect one clip of the jumper cable to the positive terminal of your dead battery and the other red clip to the positive terminal of the spare battery.
- Connect one black clip of the jumper cable to the negative terminal of your spare battery and the other black clip to the unpainted metal surface on your vehicle’s frame (away from the dead battery).
- Start your car’s engine and let it run for five to ten minutes.
- After five to ten minutes, check if your car is able to start, then disconnect the cables in reverse order.
- Detach the black clips, first from the metal surface, then from the spare battery.
- Now, disconnect the red clip from the dead battery and then from the spare unit.
4. Recharge Your Car Battery with a Battery Charger
This method is not for emergencies. It’s convenient only if you have access to an electrical outlet and have a lot of time (four to eight hours) to spare.
Follow these steps to revive your dying battery:
- Engage the parking brake and open your car’s hood.
- Locate the battery’s positive and negative terminals. If you’re having trouble identifying the terminals, refer to the owner’s manual.
- Ensure the battery charger is turned off to avoid electrical shocks. Then, attach the charger’s cables to the terminals.
- Plug in the charger and turn it on.
- Keep an eye on the battery charger’s gauge to verify the charging level after a few hours. You can also check the owner’s manual to determine the time needed for a working car battery.
- When done, switch off the charger, unplug it, and detach the battery terminals from the cables.
NOTE: If you’re stuck on the road and it’s been a while, calling a tow truck or roadside assistance would be a good idea. Usually, roadside assistance is covered by your car insurance, so you don’t have to pay for the service.
But if you plan to jump-start the car, you should follow certain safety protocols.
4 Crucial Safety Tips for Starting a Car with a Weak Battery
Here are some essential tips to start the engine safely:
- Ensure the parking brake (emergency brake) is engaged to prevent your car from moving during the jump-start. If your car has an automatic transmission, you should park it in neutral (or park) mode to prevent it from rolling.
- Make sure that each of the battery’s positive and negative cable are properly connected. If the cables are loose, they could create sparks while you jump-start.
- Don’t let the jump starter’s clamps touch each other, as it could cause an electric shock. Moreover, you should wear non-conductive rubber gloves and safety glasses when dealing with the battery to protect yourself from injuries.
- Keep a fire extinguisher close by in case of an emergency.
Wondering whether it’s worth trying to jump-start your car?
Let’s look at the advantages of doing it.
What Are the Benefits of Starting a Car Without Another Car?
The pros of jump-starting a car without another vehicle include:
- Convenience: You don’t have to wait for another car to drive by and help you. You can simply use your portable jump starter or a spare good battery to start the car. In case of a push-start, you can ask a few fellow passengers or pedestrians to help.
- No risk of voltage mismatch: Jump-starting using another vehicle can cause sudden surges of power, damaging your car’s electrical systems. A portable jump starter completely eliminates this risk since it comes with reverse polarity and over-current protection features. Even if you accidentally mix up the cables while jump-starting, the electrical systems will be safe.
- Increased independence: A jump starter is convenient, especially if you go on long road trips. The jump box is easy to carry and lightweight. You can use it anytime your car battery dies. Some variants also come with in-built air compressors and USB ports that let you inflate tires and charge mobile phones.
Want to know more about starting your vehicle without another car?
Keep scrolling!
4 FAQs about Starting a Car Without Another Car
Here’s some useful information on starting a car without another vehicle:
1. Why Is a Push-Start Not Recommended for an Automatic Car?
An automatic vehicle relies on the torque converter to transfer power from the engine to the transmission. Since the engine isn’t running, there’s no power to engage the transmission or the torque converter.
So, the push-start method won’t work on your automatic vehicle and is only advised for a manual car.
2. What Are the Different Types of Jump-Starters?
You’ll usually find two variants of jump starters in the market:
- Portable jump starter: It’s a lightweight, compact battery pack that runs on rechargeable batteries and can jump-start smaller cars. You’ll also come across lead-acid and lithium-ion sub-types of portable jump starters.
- Plug-in jump starter: Also known as wall chargers, these are larger and heavier than their portable counterparts. You’ll have to plug them into an electric outlet to charge a vehicle. Plug-in jump boxes are more powerful than portable ones and are useful for jump-starting heavier vehicles like SUVs and trucks.
3. Why Do Car Batteries Die?
Here are possible reasons why your car has a dead battery:
- You left the headlights or interior lights on for an extended period
- Alternator is failing
- Vehicle battery is older than five years or corroded
- You frequently drive in too cold or hot weather conditions that drain the battery faster
4. How Can You Prevent a Good Car Battery From Dying?
Use these tips to maintain a working car battery:
- Conserve battery charge by turning off the engine and headlights when not in use.
- Go for long drives once in a while so that the alternator gets ample time to recharge the battery.
- Get the battery terminals checked for corrosion buildup during routine car maintenance service.
Access Hassle-Free Battery Maintenance with AutoNation Mobile Service
A car’s battery provides power to parts like the starter motor and various electrical systems. But when it becomes weak or dies suddenly, you’ll have to jump-start your car to boost it temporarily.
If you’re stuck in your driveway with a flat battery and don’t want to perform a jump-start yourself, let AutoNation Mobile Service help you.
Our mobile car repair mechanics can check and resolve your battery problems right from your driveway. We offer upfront pricing, after-hours customer support, and a 12-month, 12,000-mile repair warranty on all services.
Contact us to inspect your flat battery or perform any other car maintenance service.